The rise of mobile devices poses a conundrum for businesses. On one hand, they can be used to reach the masses in venues that once weren’t accessible by the internet. Today, literally everywhere many people go has them connected in one way or another. On the other hand, it’s hard to keep people’s attention because of the ease of access; they can be looking at something they want to purchase and change their mind because their mobile phone tells them it’s cheaper down the block or at Amazon.

It’s a love/hate relationship that many have tried to solve. Next week, as Santa Anita Park opens for its 75th winter season, there will be more than horse racing fans watching the events unfold. The eyes of the tech and retail worlds will be on the track as it launches its localized mobile app for wagering and research.

The wolves of the tech-blogging world are circling around Research In Motion, calling them has-beens and tossing out rumors left and right as the once-proud BlackBerry brand fades into antiquity thanks to the rise of iPhone and Android. There are reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the last of RIM, most notably the probability that their weakness in the market today will make them a prime target for a buyout in the future.

Solar power around the world has seen its ups and downs over the past couple of decades. Some say it’s too expensive. Others say it’s impractical. Many believe it’s the future of energy worldwide. Who’s right?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Twitter over the past couple of years, it’s that people either love it or hate it. Few fall under the category of indifference when their friends or family pull out their smartphones and start typing out 140 characters or less.

By now, most have witnessed or participated in the early stages of the shift towards using mobile devices as a payment method. We’ve seen many different variations over the past few years of digital payments with smartphone credit card interfaces slowly emerging as the frontrunning format. That could change.

Regardless of what style picks up steam, one thing is certain – the industry is growing. In this infographic by our friends at Intuit, we have a breakdown of the trends and direction towards which the mobile payment industry is heading.